Mecca Joint Defense Agreement

Turkey sending technical, defensive support to Saudi Arabia to help fight Houthis, officials say

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking to the media after a meeting of the Mecca alliance, said the sides had discussed what support to provide Saudi Arabia for its defensive capabilities.

|ByREUTERS
Houthi supporters rally to celebrate advances by Houthi forces along the Red Sea coastline, in Sanaa, Yemen, September 18, 2026.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by their ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, pose after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 7, 2026.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey defense pact faces first test in Houthi offensive - analysis

The new alliance has taken shape over recent months, with September’s Houthi offensive and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia presenting its first major test.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by their ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, pose after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 7, 2026.

Mecca defense signees converging to discuss Houthi threat after Baghaei warns of escalation

The meeting comes a day after Iranian FM Esmail Baghaei said he hoped a “rumor” that Pakistan had deployed troops to Saudi Arabia was untrue, warning that intervention would complicate the situation.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chat after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, August 7, 2026.

Saudi Arabia turns to Pakistan, Turkey as US refuses to intervene against Houthi threat - analysis

The kingdom is searching for friends beyond Washington, for allies ready to put rockets where the rhetoric is and assist in a fight Saudi Arabia considers existential.

|ByNABIH BULOS/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Turkey says Mecca pact committee to meet in Riyadh on October 5

"The meeting will address recent developments in the region and the stage reached in the Alliance’s institutionalization efforts," the Turkish statement said.

OCTOBER 4, 2026ByREUTERS
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and other officials pose before the first committee meeting for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 31, 2026.

Pakistan says Mecca pact members to hold emergency talks on engaging Houthis

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are set to decide next steps for engaging Yemen's Houthis politically following increased attacks by the Iran-backed group.

OCTOBER 2, 2026ByREUTERS
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Ishaq Dar attends a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to discuss stability in the region following an interim deal between the U.S. and Iran, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt June 21, 2026.

Saudi coalition says it intercepts Houthi missiles, drones targeting Khamis Mushait, Riyadh

Hours before the Houthi attack, the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia and defense allies Pakistan ​and Turkey reviewed threats facing Saudi Arabia ​at a meeting in the Saudi capital.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2026ByREUTERS
Houthi activists stand on a platform against a banner depicting Houthi missiles, at an anti-Saudi rally amid an escalation with the kingdom, in Sanaa, Yemen, July 31, 2026.

Pakistani, Saudi, Turkish chiefs discuss closer military ties

The meeting follows a Washington Post report earlier on Friday that Saudi Arabia has not ruled out developing a nuclear weapons program, according to US intelligence assessments.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2026ByREUTERS
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and other officials pose before the first committee meeting for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, in Istanbul, Turkey, August 31, 2026.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan to hold urgent chiefs-of-staff meeting after Houthi attacks

The Houthis have launched strikes on the Saudi-backed government in Yemen and repeatedly fired into Saudi Arabia, disrupting oil flows from the world's largest energy exporter.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2026ByREUTERS
Iran-aligned Houthi fighters move next to a destroyed vehicle following what the source described as an attack on Saudi-backed forces in the location given by the source as al Jawf governorate, Yemen, in this screengrab taken from a video released by Houthi Military Media on September 15, 2026.

Katz attacks 'paper sultan' Erdogan over UNGA speech, urges him to stop 'messing with Israel'

The defense minister accused Erdogan of financing and embracing Hamas, and claimed that he dreams of "restoring the Ottoman Empire" in a post on X/Twitter.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2026ByTZVI JASPER
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026.

Saudi Arabia turns to Israel as Houthi attacks expose limits of the Mecca Pact - opinion

Houthi strikes are pushing Saudi Arabia and Israel toward unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER
(From L) TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chat after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 7.

Jordanian, Qatari, Turkish leaders denounce Israel's West Bank, Gaza policies at UNGA

Iran allegedly prepares to strike back at US targets • Iranian airlines cut off from global system • UK commits air defenses to Saudi Arabia

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
IDF soldiers operating as part of Operation Dawn 2.0, published on September 7, 2026.

IDF reportedly raids several areas in West Bank after one killed in Neveh Tzuf terror attack

Trump calls off planned US strikes on Houthis at last minute after Saudi plea • Iran says it has new targets, weapons ready if US launches new attack, Fars news says

SEPTEMBER 21, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli soldiers and police officers near the scene of a shooting attack at a spring near the Israeli settlement of Neve Tzuf in the West Bank, where an Israeli man was shot by a Palestinian terrorist and later died of his wounds, September 20, 2026.

IDF reportedly raids several areas in West Bank after one killed in Neveh Tzuf terror attack

Trump calls off planned US strikes on Houthis at last minute after Saudi plea • Iran says it has new targets, weapons ready if US launches new attack, Fars news says

SEPTEMBER 20, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israeli soldiers and police officers near the scene of a shooting attack at a spring near the Israeli settlement of Neve Tzuf in the West Bank, where an Israeli man was shot by a Palestinian terrorist and later died of his wounds, September 20, 2026.